The Montreal Canadiens faced a significant setback during their 6–3 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Netminder Sam Montembeault exited midway through the second period with an apparent lower-body injury, forcing rookie Jakub Dobes into his first career Stanley Cup Playoff action.
Montembeault left the game with 8:21 remaining in the second period and the score tied 2–2. After making a save on a shot from Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev, Montembeault reached toward the back of his left leg and left the ice shortly after.
The starter finished his night with 11 saves on 13 shots and was replaced by the 23-year-old Dobes, who had played 16 games during the regular season, posting a 7–4-3 record with a .909 save percentage and allowing 2.74 goals against on average.
Montembeault has left the game and is not on the Habs bench. Dobes is now in net. pic.twitter.com/f7jfQx3Frv
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 26, 2025
As NHL insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out after watching Sportsnet’s footage, Montembeault appeared bothered by something in his left leg. That said, the Canadiens did not provide an official reason for Montembeault’s departure.
Montembeault had been a strong performer for Montreal through the first two games of the series despite losses, stopping 58 of 63 shots for a .921 save percentage.
The starter entered Friday’s game with a 2.49 goals-against average for the series, and after leaving Game 3, he boasts a .908 SV% and a 2.76 GAA.
Sam Montembeault in the tunnel moments after the Habs win ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dFMzctw92X
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2025
After Montembeault’s exit, Dobes stepped in and made seven saves on eight shots, only allowing Capitals winger Ovechkin to score on him.
The 23-year-old helped the Canadiens maintain their lead through the third period, holding off the Capitals’ late pushes to secure the 6-3 victory.
Six different players scored each Canadiens’ goal on Friday, including Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Alexandre Carrier, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.
The Canadiens cut Washington’s series lead to 2–1 with the win as Capitals starting goalie Logan Thompson was also forced out of Game 3 in the third period, with his status for Game 4 of the series unknown.
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday night at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Related: Capitals Dealt Unfavorable Logan Thompson News in Loss to Canadiens
Related: Capitals Goalie’s Blunder Immediately Gets Called Out By Teammate
The Montreal Canadiens faced a significant setback during their 6–3 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Netminder Sam Montembeault exited midway through the second period with an apparent lower-body injury, forcing rookie Jakub Dobes into his first career Stanley Cup Playoff action.
Montembeault left the game with 8:21 remaining in the second period and the score tied 2–2. After making a save on a shot from Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev, Montembeault reached toward the back of his left leg and left the ice shortly after.
The starter finished his night with 11 saves on 13 shots and was replaced by the 23-year-old Dobes, who had played 16 games during the regular season, posting a 7–4-3 record with a .909 save percentage and allowing 2.74 goals against on average.
Montembeault has left the game and is not on the Habs bench. Dobes is now in net. pic.twitter.com/f7jfQx3Frv
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 26, 2025
As NHL insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out after watching Sportsnet’s footage, Montembeault appeared bothered by something in his left leg. That said, the Canadiens did not provide an official reason for Montembeault’s departure.
Montembeault had been a strong performer for Montreal through the first two games of the series despite losses, stopping 58 of 63 shots for a .921 save percentage.
The starter entered Friday’s game with a 2.49 goals-against average for the series, and after leaving Game 3, he boasts a .908 SV% and a 2.76 GAA.
Sam Montembeault in the tunnel moments after the Habs win ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dFMzctw92X
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2025
After Montembeault’s exit, Dobes stepped in and made seven saves on eight shots, only allowing Capitals winger Ovechkin to score on him.
The 23-year-old helped the Canadiens maintain their lead through the third period, holding off the Capitals’ late pushes to secure the 6-3 victory.
Six different players scored each Canadiens’ goal on Friday, including Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Alexandre Carrier, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.
The Canadiens cut Washington’s series lead to 2–1 with the win as Capitals starting goalie Logan Thompson was also forced out of Game 3 in the third period, with his status for Game 4 of the series unknown.
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday night at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Related: Capitals Dealt Unfavorable Logan Thompson News in Loss to Canadiens
Related: Capitals Goalie’s Blunder Immediately Gets Called Out By Teammate
